Beachwood Gate To Hollywood Sign Closed To Hikers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Hikers headed for the Beachwood gate to the Hollywood sign Tuesday will need to take a detour.

The city of Los Angeles locked the Beachwood gate at sundown Monday, blocking the easiest and most direct trail to the popular Hollyridge trail. Hollyridge will still be accessible at other nearby access points, including Canyon Road and the Vermont Canyon entrance.

The court-ordered closure is the result of a legal battle over access to the Sunset Ranch Hollywood Stables on Beachwood Drive, which provides horseback rides in Griffith Park. The ranch operator sued the city in 2015 over the number of hikers using a 20-foot strip of land it owns, the only access point to its business.

The ranch had a longstanding legal agreement allowing hikers to use the land, but complained the city was channeling too many hikers to the path.

"The court ruled that pedestrian access along the road to Sunset Ranch was incompatible with Sunset Ranch's legal easement and impeded their ability to conduct business," the DPR said in a statement in March when it announced the pending closure.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)